The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-01-20
ON TRIAL.
Sermon by Rev. T. De Witt Tai
mage, ID.
The Great and Awful Day of Account
The Indictment and the Witnesses
The All-Powerful Advocate, and
for Whom He Pleads.

BROOKLYN, N. Y, Dec 10" On Trial -
was the subject of Dr. Talmage's discourse
to-day. He took for his text the first epis-
tie of John, second chapter, and part of the
first verse: ave have an advocate with
the Father Jesus Christ the righteous"
The speaker said:
Standing in a courtroom you say to yepr-
self: "At this bar crime has often been
arraigned; at this witness stand the oath
has often been taken; at this jurors bench
the verdict has often been rendered; at this
judges desk sentence has been PRO-
nounced." But have to tell you to-day of
a trial higher than any oyer and terminer,
or circuit, or supreme, or chancery-it is
the trial of every Christian man for the
life of hisssoul. This trial is different from
any other IN the fact that it is both civil
and criminal. The issues at stake are ire
mendous, and l shall in my sermon show
you, first, what are the grounds of COM
plant; then who are the witnesses in the
cause, and, lastly, who are the advocates.
When trial is called on, the first thing
is to have the indictment read. Stand up,
then, o Christian man, and hear the in
dictment of the court of High Heaven
against thy soul! 1t is an indictment of
ten counts, for thou hast directly or indi-
rectly broken all the ten commandments
You know how it Numbered on Sinai, and
when God came down how the mountain
rocked, and the smoke assembled as from a
smoldering furnace and the darkness
gathered thick, and the loud, deep trumpet
uttered the words: 1.-THE soul that sinneth
it shall dep
Are you guilty or not guiltya Do not put
in negative plea too quick, for l have to
announce that ''all have Sinned and come
short of the glory of God. There is none
that doeth good; no, not one. Whosoever
shall keep the whole law, yet offend in one
point, he is guilty of ALL" Do not. there
fore, be too hasty in pronouncing yourself
not guilty.
This lawsuit before us also charges you
with the breaking of a solemn contract
Many time did your promise to be the
Lords. You got down on your knees and
said: 80 Lord, am Thine now and forev-
er." Did you keep the promised Have
you stood up to the contracts / go back
to your first communion. You remember
it as well as if it was yesterday. You
know how the vision of the cross rose be-
fore you. You remember how from the
head, and the hands, and the side, and the
feet, there came bleeding forth. these two
words: Remember mer' You recall how
hand when you first took it; and as in a
sea shell you may hear, or think you hear
the roaring of the surf even
after the shell has been taken
from the beach, so you lifted the cup of
communion, and you heard in it the surging
OF the great ocean of a Saviour's agony; and
you came forth from that communion serv-
ice with face shining as though you had
been on the Mount of TRANSPORTATION and
the very air seemed tremulous with the
love of Jesus, and the woods, and the
leaves, and the grass, and the birds were
brighter and sweeter voiced than ever be-
fore, and you said down in the very depths
OF your soul: "Lord, Thou knowest all
things; Thou knowest that love Thee"
Have you kept the bargain, o Christian
man! Have you not sometimes faltered
when you ought to have been true? Have
you not been proud when you ought to
have been humblea Have you not played
the coward when you ought to have been
the hero! l charge it upon you and
charge it upon myself-we have broken the
contract.
Still further, this lawsuit claims damages
at your hands. The greatest SANDER on the
Christian religion is an inconsistent pro-
lessor The Bible says religion is one thing;
we by our inconsistency say religion is
some other thing, and what is more de-
plorable about it is that people can see
faults In others while they can not see any
In themselves. If you shall at any time
find some miserable old gossip with imper-
fectlons from the crown of her head to the
sole OF her foot, perfect blotch of
Sill herself, she will go tattling, tattling,
tattling all the years of her life.
about the inconsistencies of others, having
no idea she is inconsistent herself. God
save the world from the gossip-female and
male! think the males are the worst. Now
the chariot Of Christ's salvation goes on
through the world, but it is our inco INSIST
eneles, my brethren, that lock up the
wheels, while all along the line there ought
TO have been cast nothing but palm branches
and the shout should have been lifted:
Hosanna to the Son of David!"
Now you have heard the indictment read.
Are you ready to plead guilty or not guilty?
Perhaps you are not ready yet to plead.
Then the trial will go ON. The witnesses
will be called, and we shall have the mat
ter decided. In the name of God / now
make proclamation: sOyezl oyer! oyez!
Whosoever hath any thing to offer in this
trial, in which God is the plaintiff and the
Christian soul the defendant, let him now
step forth and give testimony in this sol
emn trial.
The first witnes that call upon the stand
in behalf of the prosecution is the World
all critical and observant of Christian
character. You know that there are peo-
pie around you who perpetually banquet
on the frailties of Gods children. You
may know, if you have lived in the coun-
try, that crow cares for nothing so much
as carrion. There are those who imagine
that out of the faults of Christians thew
can make bridge of boats across the
stream of death, and they are going to try
it; but, alas, for the mistake: When thew
get amid stream, away will go the bridge
and down will go their soul to perdition.
0, World Of the greedy eye and hard
heart, come on the stand now and testify
In behalf of the prosecution against this
Christian soul on trial. What do you know
about this Christian mani "Oh," says the
World, II know a great deal.about him.
He talks about putting his treasures in
Heaven, but he is the sharpest man in
trade ever knew; he seems to want us to
believe that he is child of God, but he ia
just full of imperfections; do not know
out am great deal better than he is
now. Oftentimes he is very earthly. and